Bree laughed and covered my hand with hers on the console. “No. He just thinks we should’ve waited. I swear, he’s really coming around to the idea of you.”

“Oh, gee. That makes it all better. The idea of me?”

“You know what I mean. Not to mention, you have the rest of us on your side. So even if Dad wants to be stubborn, he’d be completely alone in that. Robin can’t wait to meet you. And Clari and Sarah do nothing but say great things about you. You’ll be fine.”

I didn’t have much of a chance to argue with her. We pulled into their driveway as soon as she finished talking. Ayla jumped from the back seat, running to the front door in excitement.

“Please don’t leave me alone,” I begged Bree, pleading with my words and eyes.

“I won’t.” That turned out to be a false promise. The moment we walked into the house, Robin called her into the kitchen to help with something. She headed back there, but the second I went to follow, Bree’s very large father stopped me.

“You don’t see anything wrong with what you did?” he asked, standing in front of me, keeping me from going anywhere. Seriously, I wasn’t a short guy, but her dad made me feel tiny.

“Yes, sir. As a matter of fact, I do. I should’ve never engaged in a romantic relationship with a student. However, I stand by my feelings for her. I defend how I felt back then, and how I feel about her now.” This was the first time I’d had the opportunity to speak with the man. I’d wanted to before, but Bree always told me to give him more time. She said I shouldn’t press him. But I no longer had time as a luxury, and I refused to back down and say my feelings for her were a lie.

He straightened his back and arched a red, bushy eyebrow at me. “So you admit that sleeping with a student was wrong?” His voice was so deep, it sounded like a bear. Yes, Bree’s dad reminded me of a very large, very scary, red-haired bear.

But I wouldn’t back down. Bears could sense fear, and I wouldn’t show him any. “Yes, sir. It was never my intention do go that far. It was never hers, either. But I was young as well. I’m sure you’d agree with how easy it is to give in, regardless of right or wrong. But the only thing that should matter here is that I loved her. I still love her. I’ve never stopped and I never will. It wasn’t some perverted love, or even hormonal love. I never sought her out for any of that. When I befriended her, it was simply to help her deal with the crap society and the law couldn’t save her from. I never anticipated falling in love with her. But I can tell you with complete certainty, sir, that I don’t regret it one bit.”

Honestly, I expected him to come unglued and smack me like a motherfucker, but he didn’t. Instead, he nodded slowly with pursed lips, met my eyes, and shook my hand. “You better take care of her, boy—both of them.”

“You have nothing to worry about with that. I promise.”

“Dammit,” he muttered under his breath. “I wasn’t supposed to like you. You were supposed to be some chump kid that I could scare away. You know, I’ve always wanted to do that. Maybe we can do that when Ayla gets older. We can sit on the porch and clean our shotguns when a boy comes to pick her up for a date.”

I fought hard to control my grin. “That won’t happen, sir.”

He raised an eyebrow at me in confusion.

“Ayla won’t date until she’s thirty.”

He laughed, a deep, rumbling chuckle. “Yeah, boy. That’s what I said once about Aubs. Yet that didn’t stop her from getting more than a history lesson from her teacher.”

The smile fell from my lips. “That wasn’t funny.”

“Oh, what? So you wouldn’t like it if some young teacher fell in love with Ayla? I’m sure neither of them will expect it or plan on it.”

I couldn’t speak. I stood frozen in front of him. But then he slapped me on the back, jarring me from my panic attack.

“I’m just messin’ with ya. Come on, the boys are in the back. Care for something to drink?”

I shook my head. “No, thank you.”

“Don’t worry, boy. Aubs already told us. All we have here today is soda, juice, and water.” He had a gleam in his eye that told me he respected me. And knowing he’d gone out of his way to accommodate me, left me with nothing but respect for him as well.

The rest of the day went by smoothly. Everyone got along, and the food was superb. I actually got along great with Joel, Clarissa’s husband. Ayla had attached herself to her nana, Bree visited with her sisters, and I got to know the guys better. It was the start of a life I never thought I’d have until I pulled a sad girl from a cold lake. Until she looked inside of me and stole my heart with her wolf eyes.

She could deny it all she wanted, but Bree was my she wolf.

She huffed and she puffed, and she blew me away with her love.

I was never one to believe in fairy tales, until Aubrey Jacobs sat on my couch and told me one.

Once upon a time in a classroom not far from here, a young teacher met a student. She came to school one day with a bruise on her face and he wanted to kiss her boo-boos all better. He found out about her wicked mother and vowed to save her, but then he fell in love and was forced to walk away. On the night of her seventeenth birthday, she drank a glass of poisoned grape juice and ran through the enchanted forest to find him. Yada yada yada…they made up and all was right in the kingdom again.

I climbed back into bed, searching for warmth beneath the blankets. Everyone was asleep except me. I had to stay up in order to get everything ready. Even though I’d be dead tired the next day as both of our families gathered together for the first time, I knew I wouldn’t regret the lack of sleep for a single second. Bree rolled over to face me, snuggling up against my chest. Her body heat quickly invaded me, warding off the chill I’d gotten from being outside.

“Everything under the tree?” she asked with a sleepy voice.

“Yeah.”

“You don’t think she heard you, do you?”

“I doubt it. I took like a million trips to make sure I wouldn’t wake her up. This Santa thing is no joke. I think we should just tell her the truth and avoid this next year. It’s too damn cold outside in the middle of the night to sneak in presents that some fictional man in a red suit will get credit for.”

“It’s not that cold. Stop being a baby,” she mumbled as she nuzzled into me more.

“There is snow on the ground. I’d say that’s pretty cold.”

She pushed back, her eyes finally open. “Snow? We have snow?”

I bit back my smile as she jumped from the bed, rushing to the window to look outside. I didn’t want to seem too eager, so I gave her a second, making sure my timing was right. The moment I heard the gasp seep from her lips, and noticed her hands cover her mouth, I knew that was my cue.

I slipped off the side of the bed, falling down on one knee. I knew what she saw. I’d purposely set it up in the yard where she’d see it from our window. How I’d managed to spread fake snow on the ground, strategically place fake candles that glowed like real flames to spell out my question, and hide the box from her, would forever remain a mystery. Bree became a kid at Christmastime, finally able to live out the holiday cheer. I almost thought she’d never fall asleep and ruin my plans.

“Axel?” She turned around, her eyes immediately finding me kneeled in front of her with a black box opened, showcasing a diamond ring. It took me forever to find the perfect yellow diamond that didn’t cost me all my savings. It was small, and I worried she wouldn’t like it, but I’d become determined to find a yellow stone that’d remind me of her eyes.

I knew she’d read the words lit by the candles, but I felt the need to repeat them. “Will you marry me?” Emotion clogged my throat, making the words sound raspy and desperate—which was rather accurate. “Please, Bree. Marry me. Spend the rest of your life with me. I want more kids with you, to grow our family. I want to be by your side every step of the way, loving you, taking—”